It seems Florida will eliminate property tax. This is an effort for Florida to become an even more tax-friendly state.
This will reduce local funding considerably. It would seem that local governments will probably have to raise local taxes or reduce costs commensurate with the loss. Drastic cuts in service or salaries might help but could be very unpopular.
A solution will have to be found, and it may be a good time to start now. We have two small cities separated by Atlantic Boulevard with two separate governments and similar conditions. Atlantic Beach has an annual budget of around $57.6 million, and Neptune Beach spends about $27.1 million. Out of their general funds, AB spends about $1,621 per resident and NB spends about $1,564 per resident.
This is worth a friendly conversation, and it looks like this may be forced on our local citizens. Just imagine only one city manager, finance department, human resources staff, clerk/legal, planning and zoning, IT staff, and one mayor and city commission. If the combined cities aggressively merge without trying to retain duplicate staffs, a significant cost reduction could be achieved. This isn't easy, but keeping taxes low could be achieved.
Well, let the discussion begin. That's my peaceful, calm wondering about the future that seems to be coming to all the local governments in the state.
Karl Price, Atlantic Beach
